CMLL set out a press release confirming the Histeria/Alebrije to Morphosis/Kraneo name changes. There’s a picture at the link; Kraneo is wearing a half Alebrije/half Kraneo mask. Still no mention of Cuije. The story they’re going with is these two are so dedicated to the Invasion, they’ve come up with new characters to put new energy into their work. Right. I’d assume this was also something taped for Ras de Lona, which no one will ever see (until it airs on Guerreros del Ring, maybe.)

Meanwhile, Psicosis say he won’t be changing his name, because his lawsuit situation is slightly different than Alebrije & Histeria, and he’ll have his name until he retires. That seems unlikely, but we’ll go with it. Psicosis, asked about El Consejo, says those guys are making a mistake – it’s much better in CMLL than AAA and the indies. As bad as the economic situation is in CMLL right now, Psicosis feels it’s worse elsewhere, and it’s very tough being in AAA and the indies. Psicosis’ current goal is to get the trios titles back.

XMW says it’s bringing in XL (Chile) and Dick Togo (planet Earth) for it’s next show, sometime in February. That would mean either Togo is hanging around for a while, or he’s coming back in a few weeks. Hope other people use him as well.

BT Jr. mentioned this card on twitter (@BLACKTERRY) – top two matches look interesting. I really don’t know how it’s going to work when Ultimo Guerrero wants to do two 3 minutes falls to start, because Negro & Solar aren’t done with their fist bit in that time.

Day 1 is primarily setup this year; they don’t seem as concerned with loading up both shows. Also, NJPW’s juniors champions (Devitt & Taguchi) are kept away from the CMLL guys for the most part. These are stand alone shows and shouldn’t be excepted to directly set up anything more CMLL/NJPW related.

NJPW is busy setting up a Tanahashi/Okada match, as you can tell from all these lineups.

The secret CHAOS/Hijos de Averno alliance still seems to be in effect.

Misterioso was supposed to face Tiger Mask in the H1N1 canceled appearance (this was when they were doing Mistico/Tiger Mask a lot), so he finally gets a hold of him here. He should fit in well with Gedo & Jado, he’s got the “‘o” already. Misterioso, Diamante and Mephisto seem mostly here just to make up the numbers (and Diamante looks to be taking direct losses both nights), but hopefully they’ll get a chance to show off a bit.

This is the interesting show. Volador and Sombra in a match seemed guaranteed once they were both announced for this show. They’re going to be all out for this one, and the only danger is trying to do too much.

Hirooki Goto versus Rush is an interesting match. Non-title points toward the finish, but Rush has a strong chance to make a name for himself in two nights. After, Goto and Rush can commiserate about failing to win the heavyweight title.

Mascara Dorada lost the CMLL Welterweight Championship to Taguchi last year. I think he’ll hold onto it this year, in what could be a good year for him in Japan.

These shows are broadcast on SamuraiTV rapidly, so they’ll be showing up thru the puroresu videos sites. You should also check out the Mask Mania blog for posts about how it’s like to be there.